looking to upgrade

four-four · #1 08-26-2008, 08:51 PM

five or six years ago i began playing bass, starting with a basic Squier p-bass.... Two years ago i got a five string peavey... I play rottosounds on both, I have a 300 watt behringer amp as well... Now, i know my p-bass is basic, but for my peavey i'm really looking to upgrade the sound, i like very quick and constant basslines, like those of Rush, Tool, and other bands like those... But, i can never get the right sound i'm looking for.. Is it the amp or the bass... and for that matter, what could i buy in its stead?

**garmenteros** · #2 08-26-2008, 09:13 PM

those behringer amps are terrible.

actually not the behringer amps, they're fairly good, but the bugera speakers in them are total crap. I had a 3000xt head with a 4 by 10 1200 watt, the matching stack from a while back. Got it some 4 yeaRS ago. It was ok to start And gig with but i tried the head out with various other cabs and was surprised how good it sounded. I also tried the cab with other amps (gk400rb, ampeg svt) and it killed the amps and lacked definition and had overwhelming mids and boomines. Not to mention the fact that it couldnt handle low notes (anything below g would be too much to ask, dont even mention 5 strings).

Peaveys make good instruments for the $. Id keep it for a while and try switching the amp. Do you have a cab and head or combo. If i had the combo id sell, if i had cab and head id switch cabs.

a good 15 inch or 2 by 10 mesa boogie cab sometimes pops up around 200 250 on craigslist, even the bay (used tho but with atleast a couple of years or more left in them).

XylemBassGuitar · #3 08-27-2008, 04:11 PM

Yep, I'd agree, keep the Peavey 5-string and switch the amp. I'd recommend taking your bass to a few music stores and trying out a bunch of amps with a "test song." You'll notice one or two amps that you like more than the others.

Also, don't forget that a vast majority of your tone comes from you.

Don't get me wrong, if you're playing an absolute clunker bass and a dead amp you probably won't sound awesome, but don't de-emphasize your own style and attack, they can contribute a lot to the sound that you want!